Danni Washington, host of the Nature Knows Best television show, is the first African-American female to host her own science series on national television. She spoke with engineering.com at the USA Science and Engineering Festival about getting young people more interested in pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers.

Washington recognizes how important STEM students will be to the future.

“You talk to Lockheed Martin (presenting sponsor of the festival), and in just 15 years, they’re going to need 100,000 new employees,” she said. “And that’s just one company.”

Bridging the gender and diversity gap in STEM is essential to the creation of a broad and more diverse talent pool ready to take on tomorrow’s challenges.

“Representation always matters,” she said, emphasizing how motivating it can be for students to see someone who looks like them or who can relate to their experiences, even if they look different.

Danni Washington talks about diversity in STEM, future demand for STEM graduates and her television show

Washington has been passionately curious about the ocean since she was a kid. She hopes that someday it will be possible to explore the Marianas Trench outside a submarine. When asked what people can do about preserving the ocean, she said that day-to-day choices have a significant impact: simple behaviors like using less fossil fuels or how we use single-use plastics such as plastic straws.

Danni Washington speaks about her passion for the ocean, possibilities for future exploration and what we can do to protect the marine ecosystem.

As the spokesperson for the festival, Washington is encouraged at seeing the reaction of students to the wonders of STEM. She believes the festival provides the opportunity for anybody to “open their eyes to new possibilities of what their future could look like.”